Cover or tilt for road transport vehicles



p J. H. SPARSHATT 1,729,555

COVER OR TILT FOR ROAD TRANSPORT VEHICLES Filed March 8, 1928 3Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 24, 1929. r J. H. SPARSHATT I COVER OR TILT FORROAD TRANSPORT VEHICLES Filed March 8, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 p 1929- J.H. SPARSHATT 1,729,555

COVER OR TILT FOR ROAD TRANSPORT VEHICLES Filed March 8, 1928 3Sheets-Sheet 5 I Joimlfl'rzerl' sparsl zalli' 9 meat aim-W.

Patented Sept. 24, 1929 Uhll'l hfi STATES PATENT OFFICE COVER OR TILTFOB ROAD TRAHSPOBT VEHICLES Application filed Iv'arch 8, 1328, Serial119. 260,102, and in Great Britain November 1, 1927.

The present invention is an improvement in or modification of theinvention relating to sliding covers or tilts for road transportvehicles forming the subject of my U. S. Patent No. 1,681,062, grantedAugust ll, 1928, and entitled Cover for vehicles.

The present invention relates to what is known as a slack sheet van, andis intended to provide a vehicle which may be optionally used eitherwith an exposed loading platform, or as a covered van.

My invention will he more fully understood after reference to theaccompanyii g drawings, in which like parts are lDf ated by similarreference symbols throughoutthe several views, and in which Figure 1 isa side elevation showing the slack sheet or flexible covering brokenaway to more clearly show the skeleton frame therefor,

Figure 2 is a scale than Fig thereof,

Figure 3 is a sectional detail View along the line 33 of Figure 2,

Figured is a plan view of Figure 1, with the flexible cover removed,

Figure 5 is a sectional View similar to Fig ure 2, but taken along theline 5 5 of Figure l, looking in the direction of arrows,

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the skeleton frame removed from thevehicle,

Figure 7 a vie similar to Figure 1, but shows the skeleton frame in theforward po sition and the hinged drop sides and tail board lowered, and

Figure 8 is detail view of the side guides for the forward lower edge ofthe sliding skeleton frame.

1. 2 are supports upstanding from the floor 3 of the vehicle body 1,these supports being in the example shown the drop sides of the vehicle;and 10 is a support at or adjacent the rear of the cab 6 of a motorvehicle, being in the example shown at the rear of the fixed frontportion 5.

7 is a skeleton frame adapted to receive a slack sheet 8. and when slidforward to move on to rollers 9, or equivalent antifriction hearingsmounted on the roof of the cab 6.

sectional view on a larger 1, and taken on the line 22 e iron how 11,which is made with crown portion than the this how 11 being located atthe or :he vehicle when the cover is over the load pla rm of thevehicle.

The lower ends of this rear how 11 are provided with bifurcated feet 12,in which antifriction hearings 13 are mounted to run on the tops 1 1 ofthe low sides 1 and 2 of the vehicle, as shown in Figures 2 and 6.

In spaced relation round the crown portion of the rear, how 11 are fixedlongitudinal bars 15 which at their other ends are secured to a shortfront how 16, which is located in front of the how 10. This how 16 hassubstantially shorter downwardly projecting legs than the rear how 11.

intermediate of their ends, the longitudinal bars may be attached to oneor more additional transverse hows 17, similar to the short how 16.

The rear how 11 being larger than the front how 10 allows the group oflongitudinal bars 15 to clear the fixed how 10 of the vehicle, and somove with the front how 16 and trail the rear how 11 behind them.

The parallel lowermost bars of the longitudinal group 15 have tracks.which may be angle irons 18 fixed thereto for running on antifrictionbearings 19, mountedon the fixed how 10. hen the sliding frame is overthe loading platform, the front how 16 acts as a hcadstop in makingcontact with the front of tho fixed how 10, and there may he steady pins20, or stops 20, or equivalent means to interlock the front how 16 andthe fixed how 10 to hold the sliding frame in the desired position.

Side guides 21, see Figure 8, may be provided on the cab 6. These sideguides 21 may be provided with a locking device, such as a screw bolt22, for registering with a series of holes 23 in the angle iron runners18 of the longitudinal bars 15, so as to lock the sliding frame in theopen or partly open position.

Plates or bars 24 depending from the feet 12 of the rear bow 11 as shownin Fig. 6, may be provided for locking the rear of the sliding frame inthe closed, or open, or partly open position. These plates or bars 24may be slotted in opposite directions at 25, 26 to slide into engagementwith screw bolts 27 on the vehicle corresponding to the open and closedpositions of the cover respectively, fly or lever nuts 28 being providedto cooperate with the screw bolts 27 for retaining the cover in thedesired position.

The aforesaid skeleton frame serves to carry the slack sheet 8 which maybe fastened down by draw strings at the front and rear, and lashed downby cords or the like 29 along the sides of the vehicle onto rows ofhooks, or in any other convenient way.

If it is desired to carry a high top load, the sliding frame may belocked in the desired forward position and the slack sheet released androlled up clear, or substantially clear, of the cab of the vehicle.

It will be seen that I provide a substan tially L shaped slidingskeleton frame of light yet sufliciently stiff construction, having atrack at each lower edge "adapted to slide freely on antifrictionbearings carried by the forward portion of the vehicle body, and to besupported entirely in said bearings when said frame is in the forwardposition, while the said frame carries two downwardly projecting legs atits rear carrying anti-friction bearings adapted to slide freely overthe drop sides of the vehicle, and to support the rear end of the coverwhen it is drawn wholly or partly over the loading platform, with meansfor locking said sliding frame in any desired position.

The parts of the skeleton frame may be detachably secured together inany convenient way, so that if and when desired, the parts of the framemay be disassembled and compactly stowed away, for example in a chamberof the vehicle.

I claim as my invention:

The combination with a vehicle body provided with a raised fiXed forwardcovered portion, and a low lying rearwardly extending load platform withhinged low sides, of a sliding frame mounted on said vehicle body,comprising a rear bow having downwardly projecting legs, provided withantifriction bearings, adapted to engage the tops of said low sides, afront bow, having shorter legs than the rear bow and substantiallyhorizontal. longitudinal bars fixed to said bows, and extendingtherebetween to form a substantial- JOHN HER-BERT SPARSHATT.

